Saturday, 10 March 2007

Was Anna Nicole Smith Murdered?

Dramatic new evidence has sparked fears Anna Nicole was murdered, reports The Mirror. The 36-year-old died in bed of a pills overdose, prompting a raft of conspiracy theories that she was killed by someone else.

Police called the new evidence "significant" and the coroner investigating Anna Nicole's death has put off announcing his results until it is fully probed.

Medical examiner Dr Joshua Perper said: "This was unexpected. But this case has more turns than anything I could have imagined." Dr Perper said he met with a police chief on Wednesday when he was told there was new evidence. He added: "We exchanged information. They informed us about additional pieces of evidence that they have obtained." A police spokesman said: "This is not delayed evidence, this is additional evidence that has come to light during the course of the investigation."

The evidence is being kept strictly confidential.

It comes as her bodyguard Maurice Brighthaupt, who was with her the day she died, claimed her boyfriend Howard K Stern had been acting "highly strange" hours before she collapsed in a Florida hotel room last month.

Anna Nicole was found dead in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.Bodyguard Mr Brighthaupt told police she was "in a cloud", and was on "heavy doses" of prescription drugs when she died, including antibiotics. He is also believed to have said her lover Stern gave her "some types of drugs" in the months leading to her collapse.

Anna Nicole's family has publicly blamed Stern for her death. Her mum Virgie Arthur suggested it was him who fed her a cocktail of prescription drugs. But during an earlier court case his lawyer strenuously denied he killed Anna.